Graphicly Introduces Interactive Extras To Comic Reader

There are plenty of digital comics being unveiled as the San Diego Comic-Con 2011 kicks off on Thursday, but nowhere is the digital realm being mined more for interactive and rich media extras more than Graphicly, who are helping comic creators expand their horizons like never before.

Graphicly has announced the expansion of their comic reader into new territory, including audio, video, interactive games and other interactive extra features -- all easily accessible from within digital comic books on the web, desktop computers or the recently released web-based comic reader widget. The company provides a digital content delivery system to nearly 200 publishers, including many familiar names such as Marvel Comics, Archie Comics, BOOM! Studios, IDW Publishing and Top Cow.

“The crew over at Graphicly have always been big believers in utilizing the digital platform to its full potential, whether it's by utilizing social networking or offering up creator commentary to supplement the reading experience,” said Filip Sablik, publisher of Top Cow. “It doesn't hurt they have the experienced interviewers and hosts from iFanboy as part of their team! Graphicly really cares not just about the reading experience, but the overall experience a fan has with one of their digital comics.”

To expand the creative possibilities for digital comic book creators, Graphicly has listened to their requests and created new functionality to enhance the stories they are trying to tell -- including audio commentaries on titles such as Artifacts #1 or Red Plains: Mi Amor, or full video with Halo8’s Godkiller. These extra features are easily accessible via clickable hotspots within the comic book itself.

“This release is the representation of what creators have been asking for,” explains Graphicly CEO Micah Baldwin. “Providing the ability for creators to directly interact with their fans and develop deeply interesting, multi-faceted digital stories has always been our vision for how we can help support and push the industry. We believe in the stories and creators behind these great books and we’re delighted to help them go beyond the story and art to enhance their comics to be even more attractive to readers.”

After debuting on Graphicly’s desktop application, all of the comics in their system have been enabled for interactive extras support by the creators and publishers and are available to readers via the innovative website as well as the Graphicly comic reader widget; visit the Graphicly website for more information.